The legislative session began with hordes of teachers descending upon the State Capitol to oppose Governor Jindal’s aggressive education reform package. The dust had barely settled after those two historic bills were passed, a new battle began brewing over the administration’s efforts to reform the state’s retirement system.

Full text of this article is available to subscribers only. Login if you are already a subscriber. If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe to the online version here.

Recently, I wrote a column about the critical role that the church plays in supporting victims of domestic violence. I pointed out that, in the past, churches were often the first place where a woman turned when she was being abused by her husband. Unfortunately, in many instances, the church failed to support these women. Pastors often reminded them of the biblical admonition for wives to submit to their husbands, and advised them to return home and try to be a better wife. Sadly, this approach often resulted in more abuse, increased severity of abuse, and sometimes even death.

On Feb. 20, the halls of I.A. Lewis were filled with the mouth-watering aroma of many wonderful food dishes prepared by Lincoln Parish 4-H members. Lincoln Parish 4-H celebrated foods with its annual 4-H Foods Festival competition. There was great participation and many prizes were awarded. The winners and participants were as follows:

The Ruston Farmers Market will have a Farm-to-Table Fundraiser on June 20 at the Historic Fire Station. The event will showcase many of the Ruston Farmers Market offerings with local, seasonal, freshly prepared dishes by Rosemary’s Kitchen.

There will also be live music by the Back Forty Band, a cork pull and a live art auction. The purpose for the fundraiser is that North Louisiana Farm Fresh, the nonprofit organization that manages the market, has been presented with a remarkable opportunity from the city of Ruston.